Commissioners object to DEP action

Stripping districts of oversight ignores home rule

By TOM KANE

NORTHEAST PA - In a surprise move, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) took away an important role from the county conservation districts in processing applications from gas drilling companies.

But opposition to the decision is growing like wild fire.

For years, the county conservation districts have monitored and regulated such land-use functions as storm water management, erosion and sediment controls, and possible water pollution that would affect drinking water. A March 18 directive from DEP takes jurisdiction of such matters out of the hands of these local agencies when granting permits to gas drilling companies that are operating in the Marcellus Shale.

The main source of opposition has come from the districts’ seven commissioners of the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania (CCAP), which represents 11 counties in Northeast Pennsylvania. These counties include Pike and Wayne, as well as Carbon, Bradford, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Monroe, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga and Wyoming. A number of recent drilling permits have been issued in many of these counties.

“What alarms us is that this measure was done without legislative review by county commissioners,” said Richard Caridi, chairman of the Pike County Commissioners. “It is a serious bypassing of the review process that should precede such operations.”

We have also learned that DEP will hire 36 people to handle this activity, which seems to be useless,” Caridi said.

The Pike commissioners wrote a strong letter of protest to Acting DEP Secretary John Hanger with copies to senator Lisa Baker, representatives Michael Peifer and John Siptroth, and the CCAP executive director.

“We are very upset with this DEP directive, which disregards the local process that has been going on for years,” said Brian Smith, chairman of the Wayne County Commissioners. “We have trained people already in place who are expert in these matters.”

Pike commissioner Harry Forbes stated flatly that the measure seems to be aimed at bringing money into the state’s coffers in order to make up for the shortfall in the state budget.

“We learned about this after the regulation was already in place,” said Susan Beecher, director of the Pike County Conservation District. “For years, we have been included in any significant changes in the review process. What is most disturbing is that we are wondering what other changes will happen in the future without our input.”

“We are currently polling our board members in all the counties in the state and anticipate that we will have the same position as the District Seven counties,” said Brian Hill, executive director of CCAP.